September Table Talks open with Williams scholar

It has become a happy tradition for Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library to begin its September Table Talk offerings with a salute to Columbus's annual Tennessee Williams Tribute.

"This year is no exception, and we are pleased to welcome Dr. Colby H. Kullman as our speaker on Sept. 4," said Friends' president, Jo Shumake. Dr. Kullman, this year's recipient of the Tribute's second Tennessee Williams Distinguished Scholar's Medal, will examine Williams' 1972 work "Small Craft Warnings," a character-driven play that serves as a cautionary tale for audiences.

Recognized worldwide as an expert on Williams and his plays, Dr. Kullman is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Mississippi where he taught for almost 30 years. His articles on Williams have appeared in "Mississippi Quarterly," "Southern Quarterly," and "Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance."

For the past 12 years he has given tours of Tennessee Williams' Mississippi Delta. He is on the national advisory board of the Last Frontier Theater Festival, the Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, and the William Inge Theatre Festival. He was chosen as the Mississippi Humanities Council's 2011 Scholar of the Year.

Table Talks are held at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 Seventh St. N. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for those wishing to bring their lunch and socialize before the program begins at noon or enjoy the Tennessee Williams memorabilia collection of posters, playbills, and photos located on the library's first floor.

Editor's note: The 12th annual Tennessee Williams Tribute is Sept. 3-8. For a complete schedule of events, visit muw.edu/tennesseewilliams or pick up a brochure at the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center, 300 Main St., Columbus.